Lasting element

ABSTRACT

A method for making shoes over a sheathed last using a lasting element. In one embodiment of the invention, the lasting element comprises a single layer of a very thin and relatively flexible material while in another embodiment, the lasting element comprises a laminated structure.

United States Patent Rubico et al.

LASTING ELEMENT Inventors: Jerome A. Rubico, Boston; Charles F.Batchelder, Milton, both of Mass.

Assignee: Batchelder Rubico, Inc., Boston,

Mass.

Filed: Aug. 24, 1970 Appl. No.: 66,212

Related US. Application Data Continuation in-part of Ser. No. 805,205,May 7,1969, Pat. No. 3,525,110.

US. Cl. ..36/2.5 R Int. Cl. ..A43b

Field of Search ..12/142 R; 36/195, 72 R 51 Oct. 17,1972

Snow ..l2/142 R Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney-Chittick,Pfund, Birch, Samuels & Gauthier 57] ABSTRACT A method for making shoesover a sheathed last using a lasting element. In one embodiment of theinvention, 7

the lasting element comprises a single layer of a very thin andrelatively flexible material while in another embodiment, the lastingelement comprises a laminated structure.

5 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures ADHESIVE COATING COVER LAST WITH SHEATHREUSABLE SHEATH SHEATH TEMPORARILY SECURE INSOLE To mso SHEATH ON LASTBOTTOM ADHESlVELY DOUBLE FACED ADHESIVE TAPE POSITION UPPER ON LASTSTRUCTURALLY COMPLETE SHOE DISCARD SHEATH WITH DRAW SHEATH LREMOVE TAPE]1 INSERT SOCKLINING I P'ATENTEDnm 11 m2 3 6 98.. 1 ()5 sum 1 or 6 DOUBLEFACED ADHESIVE TAPE POSITION UPPER ON LAST STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE SHOEPULL LAST k NEW SHYEATH COVER LAST REUSABLE WITH SHEATH SHEATH ADHESIVECOATING TEMPORARILY ADHESIVELY SECURE INSOLE TO lNsOLE SHEATH ON LASTBOTTOM DISCARD WITHDRAW SHEATH SHEATH 'FIGJ i REMOVE TAPE lNSERTSOCKLINING I FINISH SHOE PATE'IITEI'IIIII 11 I972 3.698.105

SHEET 3 [IF 6 NEW covER LAST REUSABLE SHEATH WITH SHEATH T SHEATHTEMPORARILY ADHESIVELY SECURE LASTING ELEMENT TO SHEATH ON LASTBOTTOMSECURE TUCK 0R HEEL TUCK WITH A 4 I I POSITION UPPER RESPECT To SHEATHON LAST ADHESIVELY LAST AT LEAST FOREPART OF UPPER TO LASTING ELEMENT llSTRUCTURALLY COMPLETE SHOE 4 PULL LAST DISCARD WITHDRAW SHEATH SHEATH lINSERT SOCKLINING l J I F FINISH SHOE FIG. 6

INVENTOR. CHARLES F. BATCHELDER BY JEROME A. RUBIC'O P'A'TE'NTEDIIIII I7IIIIz NEW SHE ATH SHEET 5 0F 6 COVE R LAST WITH SHE ATH REUSABLE SHEATHTEMPoR RILY ADHESIVELY sEcu E LASTINGELEMENT WITH PERIPHERAL SEWING RIBTO SHEATH ON LAST B OTTOM POSITION UPPER ON LAST LAST AT LEAST A PORTIONOF UPPER TO SEWING RIB SECURE GOODYEAR WELT TO SEWING RIB STRUCTURALLYCOMPLETE SHOE PULL LAST DISCARD SHEATH WITH DRAW SHEATH IN SE RTSOCKLINING FINISH SHOE FIG? INVENTOR.

CHARLES E BATCHEL DER JEROME A. RUBICO ail/I 1] 1,$am/m[5 gumPNENTEDUBHYIHY? 3,698,105 SHEET 5 0F 6 INVENTOR. CHARLES F. BATCHELDERBY JEROME AIRUBICO 7541,14, Bazcifiamudw @auz LASTINGELEMENTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates to shoe-making in general, and morespecifically, to a method of making shoes over sheathedlasts utilizingvarious types of lasting elements.

In the parent application Ser. No. 805,205, there is disclosed a processfor making shoes using a removable, intermediary sheath that is tightlyfitted over at least a portion of the bottom of the last. Preferably,the sheath is formed from a therrnoshrinkable, thermoplastic film of thetype currently used in the packaging industry for shrink wrapping goods.Conventional bagging and heat shrinking equipment provide a rapid andinexpensive means for producing the conforming sheath for the last.

After the last has been covered with the removable sheath, an insoleelement is temporarily adhesively secured to the sheath on the lastbottom. With the insole correctly placed on and releasable secured tothe sheath on the last bottom, the shoe-making process then proceeds ina normal fashion. The upper is positioned on the last and lasted to theinsole. Thereafter, the shoe is structurally completed and the lastpulled. At this point in the shoe-making process, the sheath is normallywithdrawn from the shoe, if desired, a socklining is subsequentlyinserted in the shoe. Depending upon the particular type of sheathemployed in practicing the process, the sheath can be re-used on thesame or another last or discarded.

The present invention utilizes the basic BARU- WAY" process described inthe above-mentioned copending application Ser. No. 805,205 inconjunction with various types of lasting elements which, among otherthings, facilitate the use of the process in the manufacture of a numberof lines of shoes including Goodyear and flat lasted shoes.

The specific objects, features and advantages of the present inventioncan best be understood from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention, selected for purposes ofillustration and shown in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating inblock form the sequential steps of the BARUWAY shoe-making process;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a bagging, sealing and heat shrinking stationshowing the bagging, sealing and heat shrinking of a thermoshrinkablesheath around a last;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation of the station shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation depicting a last covered with a heatshrunk thermoplastic sheath;

FIG. 5 is aview of the bottom of the last shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the use of lasting element and anoptional tuck or heel tuck in the BARUWAY process;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the use of a lasting element withsewing rib for the manufacture of Goodyear shoes using the BARUWAYprocess;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of one form of the lasting element;

FIG. 9 is a view in section of the lasting element 0 taken along lines9-9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 isanother view in section showing the lasting element with aninclined peripheral sewing rib thereon;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating in block form the sequentialsteps of the BARUWAY shoe-making process using a laminated lastingelement;

FIG. 12 is a view in section of a portion of another version of thelasting element showing the use of a laminated two ply construction;

FIG. 13 is another view in section of a portion of a laminated, threeply lasting element; and,

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view in section of a shoe incorporating thelasting element.

Turning now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there isshown in block form a flow diagram of the BARUWAY method of making shoesover sheathed lasts which is described in detail in the abovementionedcopending application Ser. No. 805,205.

Thebasic concept of the BARUWAY process is the partial or fullencasement of a shoe last within a removable sheath of thin materialthat is closely fitted over at least a portion of the last bottom. Thesheath is a means by which the structural elements of a shoe can beadhesively assembled in their proper design relationship without anydirect adhesive attachment to the last. The term sheath, as used herein,is generic to both a partial and a full sheath, i.e., one which coversonly a portion of the last and one which covers the entire last. Thepartial or full sheath is mechanically bonded or held in position overthe last bottom without the use of any attaching means between thesheath and the last bottom. In other words, no adhesive, tacks or otherattaching means are interposed between the bottom of the last and thelast bottom contacting inner surface of the sheath.

With the last covered by either a partial or a full sheath, one or moreelements of the shoe are adhesively secured to the sheath. In a sense,the sheath functions as an intermediary between the shoe elements andthe last itself. The shoe is then structurally formed around thesheathed last. The sheath can be removed from or left in the finishedshoe depending upon the desired type of shoe construction. Theparticular shoemaking operations employed in manufacturing the shoe willbe described below after we discuss the sheath itself and the method forsheathing the last.

Preferably, the sheath is formed from one of the wellknown heatshrinkable, thermoplastic films, such as the polyolefin films includingpolypropylene and polyethylene, vinylidene choloride (Isaran), orstablized polyvinyl choloride (PVC) that are currently used in thepackaging industry. The use of heat shrinkable films is quite desirablebecause the resulting heat shrunk sheath tightly conforms to thecompound curvatures of the last and provides a dimensionally stable,fixed intermediary element between the last bottom and an overlyinginsole.

However, it should be understood that the sheath can be fabricated in anumber of ways from a variety of suitable materials. For example,conventional vacuum forming techniques including flow on applicationscan be employed to sheath the bottom and sides of the last.Alternatively, rubber latex and other similar materials can be spraycoated on or dip formed around the shoe last. Stretchable molded rubbersand elasticized fabrics can also be used in the construction of a fullor partial sheath. Although sheaths formed in this manner can be reusedfor a number of times, we believe that the maximum manufacturingeconomies will be realized from the use of a disposable sheath ofthermoshrinkable, thermoplastic film that is heat shrunk around the shoelast.

The equipment for sheathing a shoe last with a sheath ofthermoshrinkable, thermoplastic film is shown in plan view in FIG. 2 andin side elevation in FIG. 3. The equipment comprises a sealing machineand a heat shrinking machine indicated generally by the referencenumerals and 12, respectively. Commercial machines for performing boththe sealing and heat shrinking operations are readily available and wellknown to those in the packaging industry. For example, Applicants haveexperimented with the sealing machine manufactured by the WeldotronCorp. of Newark, N.J., and sold under the nomenclature of Console TypeAutomatic Package Forming Machine, Series 5200 to seal heat shrinkablefilm around a last. Subsequent heat shrinking of the film was done inWeldotrons Shrink Tunnel Model 7121. Of course, other commerciallyavailable units can be used to seal and heat shrink the thermoplasticfilm around a last.

The sealing and shrinking operations can best be understood by examiningFIGS. 2 through 8 in conjunction with the following description. Lookingat FIGS. 2 and 3, the sealing machine 10 comprises a supply roll 14, awork or bagging surface 16, a conveyor 18 and a pivotally mountedsealing head 20 containing one or more selectively energizable sourcesof thermal energy (not shown). The internal components of the sealingmachine 10, such as, the pneumatic or hydraulic systems, electricalequipment, drive motors and so forth, have not been shown in thedrawings for purposes of clarity.

The supply roll 14 has a heat shrinkable film 22 wound thereon in sleeveform with a fold line 22a facing away from the operator as viewed inFIG. 2. A number of readily available heat shrinkable materials can beused to form the sheath. For example, we have used heat shrinkable PVCfilm sold by the Reynolds Metals Co. under the trademark Reynolon and1.5 mil PVC film sold by the Borden Chemical Co. of No. Andover, Mass.The thickness of the film before shrinking is not critical. However, forpurposes of maximum economy and ease of operation, we prefer a filmthickness of approximately 0.75 mils before shrinking.

Referring to the plan view of FIG. 2, the normal operator position islocated directly in front of the sealing machine 10. When wrapping aconventional bare last 24, the operator places the last in the centerfolded heat shrinkable film 22 and then moves both the last and filmtogether to a position directly beneath the pivotally mounted sealinghead 20 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2. The operator then initiatesthe sealing cycle by actuating the appropriate machine controls 26. Uponactuation of the controls 26, the sealing head 20 is automaticallylowered to the horizontal or sealing position by pneumatic or hydraulicmeans. When the sealing head is in the sealing position, the source orsources of thermal energy are energized to form a bag 28 by sealing theupstream edge 28a and facing side 28b of the center folded heatshrinkable film 22. The sealing operation also severs the upstream ofthe bag from the leading edge 28cof the next bag." Thus, after the firstsealing cycle, the leading edge 28c, of each bag is sealed by thepreceding sealing operation.

After sealing, the bagged last is moved by conveyor 18 onto conveyor 30which carries the bagged last through a heat tunnel 32 that generatessufficient heat to cause the heat shrinkable film bag 28 to shrinktightly around the last thereby forming a sheath 34. Upon emerging fromthe heat tunnel, the sheathed last 24 is deposited in a collecting tub36 located at the downstream end of conveyor 32.

The last and the tightly fitting sheath of thermoshrunk, thermoplasticfilm are shown in greater detail in the side elevation and bottom viewsof FIGS. 4 and 5. From an inspection of FIGS. 2 through 5, it can beseen that the sealed bag side 28b, after heat shrinking, forms a seam 38that extends substantially along the longitudinal axis of the lastbottom. This particular location of the sheath seam 38 is produced byplacing the bare last 24 within bag 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thelast generally should be positioned with the heel portion of the lastreasonably close to the corner of the sealing head 20 so that the lastis located approximately along the diagonal of bag 28. It is alsodesirable to keep the bag sizes as small as possible in order toinsure agood, tight, shrink of the film around the bare last.

Alternatively, the seam 38 can be positioned on the upper surface of thelast leaving a smooth, unseamed area of thermoshrunk film on the lastbottom. This se aling arrangment is obtained by positioning the last 24within the bag of thermoshrinkable film with the last bottom facing thecenter fold 22a of the film.

It should be noted that the seam placement on the sheathed last is not acritical parameter of the BARU- WAY process and that the process can bepracticed with the scam in a number of locations. However, we believethat it is preferable to position the seam on the upper surface on thelast in order to provide a uniform, unseamed, sheath surface on thebottom of the last. This arrangment will produce a tighter lasting ofthe shoe upper to the insole. Furthermore, if there is any offsetmarking of the shoe components by the irregular ridge or bump of seam38, the marking will appear on the relatively unseen, inside surface ofthe upper lining rather than on the highly visible exposed surface ofthe insole in the finished shoe.

The sheathing of the shoe last is the first step in the practice of theBARUWAY process. Referring back to the flow diagram of FIG. 1, the nextstep in the process is the use of the sheath as an intermediary to whichelements of the shoe can be adhesivley attached, in lieu of adhesiveattachment directly to a bare last as taught by the previously mentionedprior art.

With the last bottom covered by the tightly fitting sheath, an insoleelement is temporarily secured to the sheath by adhesive means insteadof by the traditional method of nailing.

Various adhesive means can be employed in the BARUWAY process totemporarily adhesively secure the insole to the intermediary sheath. Forthe large volume of cement-process shoes which normally have asocklining over their insoles, we prefer to use an adhesive layerbetween the insole and sheath. For shoes such as Goodyear welts whichcommonly have no socklining in the finished shoe, a double-facedadhesive tape can be applied to either the sheath itself or to theinsole. After withdrawal of the last and subsequent removal of thesheath, the tape can be used to hold a socklining in place.Alternatively, the tape can be removed from the finished shoe.

It should be noted that regardless of the particular means of adhesiveinsole attachment, none of the adhesive actually contacts the lastbottom because of the adherance of the insole to the sheath and not tothe last itself. The sheath functions as a removable intermediary tohold the insole in proper juxtaposition against the last bottom forsubsequent lasting of the upper components to the insole.

Once the upper has been accurately positioned on the last, the shoe islasted and structurally completed in a conventional manner. Thestructurally completed shoe is now ready for last pulling. The sheath iscut or broken around the throat of the shoe to permit the last to bepulled from the shoe. After insertion of the socklining, the shoe isfinished in a conventional manner.

The preceding description of the BARUWAY process has been directed tothe use of the preferred disposable sheath formed from athermoshrinkable, thermoplastic film. However, a BARUWAY process is notlimited to the use of such a disposable thermoplastic sheath. Forinstance, it has already been mentioned that a re-usable sheath can beformed from a variety of materials including stretch fabrics, moldedrubber, synthetics and the like.

Having briefly reviewed the BARUWAY shoemaking process described in theabove-mentioned copending application Ser. No. 805,205, we will nowdiscuss the various types of lasting elements used in the presentinvention to implement the BARUWAY process. Since no tacks are requiredfor securing the lasting element to the last in the BARUWAY process, anextremely light-weight and flexible material can be employed as thelasting element. Materials such as No. 12 Gem duck or 1 V; -2 iron TEXONcan be employed as a lasting element in the BARUWAY process. From thestandpoint of comfort and flexibility in the finished shoe, it is quitedesirable to use a material that is extremely flexible in the interiorportion of the toe area of the lasting element. We have found thatmaterial having a longitu dinal stiffness not in excess of 0.057inch-pounds and a lateral stiffness not in excess of 0.168 inch-poundsas measured by Federal Test Method Standard No. 311, Testing Method No.4211, published by the General Services Administration, dated Jan. 15,1969, is quite suitable. It will be appreciated that the lastingelements described herein are not limited to materials which meet theflexibility requirements set forth above. How ever, in order to obtainmaximum flexibility in the finished shoe, we do recommend that thelasting element meet these requirements for flexibility.

Looking at FIG. 6, the basic BARUWAY process is shown with a lastingelement temporarily adhesively secured to the sheath on the last bottom.In some shoe constructions it may be desirable to employ either a fulltuck or a heel tuck. The use of such tucks is illustrated in the flowdiagram of FIG. 6 by the dashed lines. Preferably, the full tuck andheel tuck are secured with respect to the sheath by adhesive means. Thisoperation is performed between the step of temporarily adhesivelysecuring the lasting element to the sheath on the last bottom and thestep of positioning the upper on the last.

The back part of the upper and its components are lasted to theunderside of the tuck by conventional means, such as staples oradhesive, while the forepart of the upper is lasted to the lastingelement by adhesive. The remaining steps in the process illustrated inFIG. 6 are the same as the basic BARUWAY process. If desired, asocklining can be inserted in the shoe after withdrawal of the sheath,as illustrated by the solid lines in FIG. 6. Alternatively, thesocklining can be omitted and the shoe finished immediately after thestep of withdrawing the sheath as shown by the dashedlines.

One type of lasting element that is suitable for the process describedin connection with FIG. 6 is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. The lastingelement 40 is cut from a gem duck into the correct size and contour forincorporation in a structurally completed shoe. The lasting element 40has a central portion 42 and a folded over lasting margin 44. With thisconfiguration, the lasting margin 44 can be lifted for subsequentinseammg.

It has already beenmentioned that one of the objects of the presentinvention is to provide a method of making shoes over sheathed lastsusing a lasting element that facilitates the manufacture of Goodyearwelt shoes. The flow diagram for manufacturing a Goodyear welt shoe withthe BARUWAY process and the lasting element of the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 7. Suitable lasting element for the Goodyear weltconstruction are shown in FIGS. 10 and 13. The lasting element with aperipheral sewing rib 46, either inclined (FIG. 10) or upstanding (FIG.13) is temporarily adhesively secured to the sheath on the last bottom.After positioning the upper on the last, at least a portion of the upperis lasted to the sewing rib. Thereafter, a Goodyear welt is secured byconventional means to the sewing rib. The subsequent shoe-making processfollows along in the same manner as illustrated in FIG. 6 and discussedpreviously in connection with the basic BARUWAY process.

The use of another form of a lasting element is illustrated in flowdiagram form in FIG. 11 and shown in structural cross-section in FIGS.12. and 13. In this embodiment, the lasting element comprises alamination of at least two plies which are temporarily held inlamination by an adhesive. Looking at FIG. 12, there is in laminatedform, a lasting element ply 40 and a socklining ply 48 which aretemporarily adhesively held in lamination by an adhesive 50. A multipleply combination using more than two plies is illustrated in FIG. 13 andwill be discussed below in connection with the manufacture of Goodyearwelt shoes.

Looking at FIG. 11, the first step in the process is the temporaryadhesive lamination of the lasting element and socklining plies 40 and48, respectively. Preferably, the lasting element and socklining pliesare laminated together while in sheet form and then they are shaped intothe final size and contour for incorporation in a structurally completedshoe. However, it will be appreciated that it is possible to separatelyshape the socklining and lasting element plies before temporarilyadhesively laminating the two plies. Given the sized and contouredlaminated plies, the next step in the process for a non-Goodyear weltshoe is the separation of the socklining and lasting element plies.After separation, the socklining ply is put aside for subsequent use inthe shoemaking process. At this point in the process, a heel tuck can besecured to the lasting element ply as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 11.

In accordance with the basic BARUWAY process, at least a portion of thelast bottom is covered with a sheath. The lasting element ply is thentemporarily adhesively secured to the sheath on the last bottom. Ifdesired, the heel tuck can be secured to the lasting element at thispoint in the shoe-making process. After positioning the upper on thelast, at least the forepart of the upper is adhesively lasted to thelasting element ply. Thereafter, the shoe is structurally completed, thelast pulled and the sheath withdrawn from the shoe. The previouslyseparated socklining ply is now inserted in the shoe and the shoe isthen finished in a conventional manner.

The steps for making a Goodyear welt shoe with the BARUWAY process andthe multi-ply laminated lasting elements are also illustrated in FIG.11. A combination of dash and dotted lines is used in FIG. 11 toindicate those steps which are specifically applicable to themanufacture of a Goodyear welt shoe. After shaping the laminated pliesinto the final size and contour for incorporation in the structurallycompleted shoe, a peripheral sewing rib is secured to the lastingelement ply by conventional means, such as, adhesive or stitching.

The multi-ply construction provides sufficient rigidity to permit sewingrib attachment using existing shoe machine equipment.

Looking at the right hand portion of FIG. 11, after the upper has beenpositioned on the last, at least a portion of the upper is lasted to thesewing rib on the lasting element ply. Thereafter, a Goodyear welt issecured to the sewing rib on the lasting element ply. The shoe is thenstructurally completed and the remaining steps are performed in the samemanner as described above.

In some instances it may be desirable to employ a cushion element in thefinished shoe. This can be accomplished easily in the BARUWAY process byusing the laminated version of the lasting element illustrated in FIG.13. In this case, the intermediate ply 52 is formed from a cushioningmaterial and is adhesively laminated to both the lasting element ply 40and the socklining ply 48 by means of adhesive layers 54 and 56respectively. Looking back at FIG. 11, after sizing and contouring thelaminated plies and securing the peripheral sewing rib 46 to the lastingelement ply 40, the socklining ply 48 is separated from the intermediateor cushion element ply 52 and the lasting element ply 40. The laminatedintermediate ply 52 and lasting element ply 40 are then temporarilyadhesively secured to the sheath on the last bottom with theintermediate ply 52 in contact with the sheath. The laminated cushionelement and lasing ply are treated in the same way as a single lastingelement ply in the subsequent shoemaking operations.

In the case of Goodyear welt shoes it also may be desirable tocompensate or the volume occupied by the socklining and/or cushion ply.In order to provide room for the subsequent insertion of the sockliningply, the multi-ply laminated construction shown in FIG. 13 can be usedwith the intermediate ply 52 constituting a throwaway ply. The thicknessof the intermediate ply corresponds to the thickness of the sockliningor the combined thickness of the socklining and cushion if a cushion isused. The three plies are laminated together as described above and thenthe socklining ply 48 is separated from the intermediate ply 52 whichremains in lamination with the lasting element ply 40. The intermediateply 52 and lasting ply 40 are then temporarily adhesively secured inlamination to the sheath on the last bottom with the intermediate ply 52in contact with the sheath. The subsequent shoemaking steps are the sameas described before down through the point where the sheath iswithdrawn. At this stage in the shoemaking process, the intermediate ply52 is removed from the shoe if it did not come out with the sheath.Thereafter, the socklining ply 48 and the cushion, if used, are insertedin the shoe and occupy the space previously filled by the throwawayintermediate ply 52.

FIG. 14 illustrates in diagrammatic form and crosssection a shoeconstructed by means of the BARU- WAY process using a lasting elementwhich fulfills the longitudinal and lateral flexibility requirements setforth above. As shown in FIG. 14, the upper 58 is lasted to a lastingelement 60 with a sole element 62 secured to the exterior portion of theupper lasting margin. A suitable cushion or filler 64 may be used tofill the void defined by the inner surfaces of the lasting element 60and sole element 62 and the inner edges of the inturned lasting marginof the upper 58.

Having described in detail the preferred embodiment of our invention,what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. A lasting element for use in lasting a shoe upper, said lastingelement comprising at least in part a sheet material having a size andcontour for incorporation in a shoe and, at least in the interiorportion of the toe area of the lasting element, a stiffness bothlongitudinally and laterally not in excess of 0.057 inch-pounds and0.168 inch-pounds, respectively as measured by Federal Test MethodStandard No. 31 1, Test for Stiffness, Method No. 4211, published by theUS. General Services Administration, dated Jan. 15, 1969.

2. An article of manufacture comprising the combination, laminatedtogether in sheet form, of a material for a lasting element of a shoeand of a material for a socklining of a shoe, said sheet materials beingtemporarily held in lamination by adhesive means.

3. An article of manufacture comprising the combination, laminatedtogether in sheet form, of a material for a lasting element of a shoe,an intermediate material and a material for a socklining of a shoe, saidmaterials being temporarily held in lamination by adhesive means.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein said intermediate material is acushion material.

published by the US. General Services Administration, dated Jan. 15,1969; b. An upper lasted to said lasting element; and, c. a sole elementsecured to at least a portion of said upper.

1. A lasting element for use in lasting a shoe upper, said lastingelement comprising at least in part a sheet material having a size andcontour for incorporation in a shoe and, at least in the interiorportion of the toe area of the lasting element, a stiffness bothlongitudinally and laterally not in excess of 0.057 inch-pounds and0.168 inch-pounds, respectively as measured by Federal Test MethodStandard No. 311, Test for Stiffness, Method No. 4211, published by theU.S. General Services Administration, dated Jan. 15,
 1969. 2. An articleof manufacture comprising the combination, laminated together in sheetform, of a material for a lasting element of a shoe and of a materialfor a socklining of a shoe, said sheet materials being temporarily heldin lamination by adhesive means.
 3. An article of manufacture comprisingthe combination, laminated together in sheet form, of a material for alasting element of a shoe, an intermediate material and a material for asocklining of a shoe, said materials being temporarily held inlamination by adhesive means.
 4. The article of claim 3 wherein saidintermediate material is a cushion material.
 5. A shoe comprising: a. alasting element with the interior porTion of the toe area of the elementhaving a stiffness both longitudinally and laterally not in excess of0.057 inch-pounds and 0.168 inch-pounds, respectively as measured byFederal Test Method Standard No. 311, Test for Stiffness, Method No.4211, published by the U.S. General Services Administration, dated Jan.15, 1969; b. An upper lasted to said lasting element; and, c. a soleelement secured to at least a portion of said upper.